The French Are Fly

The French government is proposing a tax on carbon emissions that would help the country meet its goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions under the Kyoto climate change treaty. Prime Minister Lionel Jospin’s legislative package, to be presented next week, will include the tax, which would take effect in 2001 and apply to France’s state-owned power utility, makers of steel, cement, and glass, and other industries. Jospin’s package will also contain about 100 other measures intended to cut greenhouse gas emissions, including a plan to reduce the use of cars in urban areas. Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the French government will announce its plan to help restore the nation’s forests, which were devastated by December wind storms that destroyed about 300 million trees.